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Stories from the lives of athletes, all pressing toward the goal found in John 3:30; “He must increase, but I must decrease”

Matt E Diaz

Matt E is a former professional outfielder. While in the Major Leagues, Matt E played with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, the Kansas City Royals, the Atlanta Braves, the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Miami Marlins.

Q&A

What effect does your faith have on your lifestyle?

My faith in a loving God who wants me as His son has affected every aspect of my life.
Faith has given me alternative motivations and eliminated a lot of my insecurities. I work differently, I parent differently, I husband differently, I just live differently. If I truly believe what I say I believe, no area of my life can be the same. It is a daily battle to live this faith, but it is one well worth fighting.

Describe how your Journey with Christ began.

Most would consider me a “lifer” but that wouldn’t be entirely true. I did grow up in a great Christian household, but it wasn’t until I left for college that my relationship with Christ became personal. Alone in a college apartment during my freshman year, the Bible became alive to me—It finally made sense to me. My faith in Christ was no longer something I wanted to “do” to please my parents, Christianity became something I wanted to “be”.

Who have been the mentors in your life? How did God bring these people into your life?

There are so many mentors in my life. God has placed different people in my life at precise times to grab ahold of my heart in new ways. One of those people has always been my older brother Zach. He was in college with me at Florida State when I needed a mentor the most, and has been involved in nearly every important area of my life since birth.

What does the Increase of Christ mean to you?

Now that I am a Christian, my desire to know Christ more cannot stop at salvation. The more Jesus increases in my life, the more real He becomes, the more amazing His life while on earth becomes, and the more holy His standard becomes. As His standard becomes more holy, my inability to live up to that standard becomes more glaring. Each day as Christ increases and I decrease, my need for a savior becomes more real and the cross becomes huge!